Toddlers and iPhones

Today was one of the rare Wednesdays I've visited campus this semester. Thanks, homework.

Ahead of me at the bus stop was a young, and again pregnant mother with a *maybe* 2-year-old in a stroller. The bus was getting full; I found myself facing them once we were all seated, in the front part of the bus appropriate for a stroller - where the flip-up seats are.

Her young (born) one was at that age where you need to keep him entertained or in conversation at all times to avoid him getting cranky. Cute kid, though. The mother was talking to him a whole bunch until she opted to merely hand him her - what I think was an - iPod touch. I had assumed she had put on some video cleverly and proactively stored on there for times just like these. Surely he was busy watching Rolie Polie Olie or something - but no, he was OPERATING the iPod! He had an app open where he had to identify shapes. Sure, OK, easy enough, but then he decided he didn't like that app, so he pressed the home screen button, and launched a different app - he didn't know what it was; his mother informed him it was her grocery list app. It wasn't for him, so he pressed the home screen button again, and went back to his shapes game. The only thing I didn't see him do was swish the home screen to get to a different page of apps!

I sat there in awe. What a testament to iOS's user interface design that a 1-2 year old can use it! The kid was barely able to retain attention to the screen, often lazily flopping his iPod-holding hand over the side of his stroller, but then he'd bring it back up and continue using it. It was second nature to the kid! Good on you, Steve Jobs.